The camp of the Zhenhai Army was closely adjacent to the Red Robe Army, connected by a gate, and formed a pincer position with the Jiushan Army, together constituting the core area of the rebel forces.
Qi Zhengyan and others were arranged by Xu Wei in tents near the Red Robe Army and Jiushan Army, where they could see the patrolling soldiers crossing paths—an added rule since Duhuai Shang’s near death, as the largest rebel factions had little trust in each other and constantly worried about becoming each other’s captives without closer watch.
The windproof lanterns illuminated the paths between the camps, making them as bright as day, but in less critical areas, the chaotic rebel forces hadn’t arranged such meticulous surveillance.
Jiang Zhiwei sat cross-legged on the ground, her long sword resting across her knees, her eyes half-closed, her eyelashes especially long, using her Heaven-Connecting Sword Heart to sense her surroundings clearly, regardless of distance.
The task of helping the Red Robe Army investigate spies secretly communicating with the imperial court had already been relayed by Meng Qi’s doppelgänger, but they had yet to find a way to investigate and could only wait and see for now.
A spy would certainly stir up trouble, sow discord, and gather intelligence, naturally revealing flaws eventually!
Ruan Yushu sat beside Jiang Zhiwei, the elaborately carved and elegant Seven Immortals Zither leaning against her leg, her right hand hanging down, ready to play at any moment, while Zhao Heng paced back and forth, contemplating the intelligence Meng Qi had conveyed.
Meanwhile, Meng Qi’s doppelgänger stood in a corner, expressionless and somewhat dazed, while Qi Zhengyan stood at the edge of the tent with his hands hanging naturally, his pupils resembling a swamp—thick and deep—unfathomable in thought.
Suddenly, Jiang Zhiwei opened her eyes, and the sword on her knee automatically extended an inch, its ringing sound echoing in their minds. Qi Zhengyan also slightly turned his head, looking toward one side of the tent.
“There’s someone with hostile intent trying to approach,” Jiang Zhiwei told Ruan Yushu and Zhao Heng, who had heightened their vigilance.
Qi Zhengyan added, “The enemy is perceptive and retreated into the shadows upon realizing we noticed, vanishing without a trace. He must be very familiar with the camp.”
After speaking, he hesitated slightly and said, “I’ll go check outside.”
His expression was blank, his eyes concealing deep emotions.
“Brother Qi, be careful not to step into a trap,” Ruan Yushu warned.
Jiang Zhiwei, unaccustomed to Qi Zhengyan’s unusually proactive behavior, lightly frowned her beautiful eyebrows: “Perhaps the approach was intentional, to provoke us. The real trap may lie elsewhere.”
“The longer this drags on, the more disunited the rebel factions will become. We must quickly identify the spy and stabilize morale. If the enemy’s approach was a mistake, we must pursue. If it’s a trap, then we’ll flush them out, making them reveal themselves.” Rarely speaking so much, Qi Zhengyan analyzed the pros and cons beyond merely describing the situation.
Zhao Heng’s expression darkened: “But flushing them out might endanger us. A slight misstep could lead to being accused and attacked by the rebels.”
At this moment, Meng Qi rasped, “Senior Brother Qi has had extraordinary encounters and possesses many secret techniques. He must have confidence.”
With Meng Qi’s assurance, the others could only temporarily suppress their doubts, watching Qi Zhengyan lift the tent flap and step out.
“Sir, where are you going?” the soldiers outside asked.
“Relieving myself,” Qi Zhengyan replied casually, ignoring their confusion at an external scene cultivator needing to relieve himself, slowly walking toward the communal latrine, a crude tent-covered pit some distance from the tents.
No one wanted to be exposed while relieving themselves, so this area had fewer lanterns, especially on the sides and back, which were particularly dark.
Qi Zhengyan seemed impatient with the stench and moved to the dark side.
As he stood still, a sword light suddenly flashed behind him, faster than a meteor, aiming directly at Qi Zhengyan’s Yuzhen acupoint.
This sword strike subtly connected to the power of heaven and earth, lacking supernatural effects but relying purely on speed.
As the sword light flashed, it abruptly halted because Qi Zhengyan’s left hand reached back, glowing with an earthy hue like an iron clamp, firmly gripping the sword blade. The timing and force were so precise that the assassin was shocked, never expecting anyone to intercept his strike so effortlessly.
A purple star river quietly flowed, surging along the sword toward the assassin, scouring his body and soul. In an instant, he collapsed into a puddle of mud.
But the real killing blow erupted now. As Qi Zhengyan focused on the assassin behind him, a black streak shot from the latrine tent in front, as fast as a flash, aiming for Qi Zhengyan’s forehead!
It happened in the blink of an eye, yet Qi Zhengyan remained expressionless, his eyes suddenly turning pitch-black, sinking into darkness, brimming with eerie anomalies.
The black streak came to an abrupt halt, crashing heavily onto the ground and morphing into a shadowy figure. His eyes brimmed with sheer terror, as though he had plunged into an abyss of eternal damnation, suffering unimaginable torment in the Nine Netherworld. His hands pressed desperately against the ground as he scrambled backward in panic, his gaze fixed wildly on Qi Zhengyan!
Crash! The tent collapsed, revealing the scene inside: a corpse beside the latrine, wearing a dark green robe with the Jiushan emblem on the chest, clearly a high-ranking and powerful figure in the Jiushan Army!
Using assassination as bait to frame and falsely accuse!
Qi Zhengyan could already envision the next scene: suddenly illuminated by lanterns, Jiushan Army’s experts, guided by someone, surrounded him, accusing him of being a spy!
His expression remained indifferent, showing no emotion, merely glancing at the corpse, his eyes still pitch black.
With that glance, the corpse appeared as if submerged in the venomous waters of the Nine Abyss, instantly dissolving into primal energy and merging with the sea, vanishing without a trace!
“Capture the spy!” As the corpse vanished, Qi Zhengyan heard a loud shout in his ear. The night suddenly brightened, the surroundings as bright as day. One by one, Jiushan Army experts surrounded Qi Zhengyan, led by a man with a neat mustache, wearing armor, dignified and imposing.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng rushed over, confronting the group.
Qi Zhengyan pointed expressionlessly at the collapsed and mad assassin on the ground, calmly saying, “The spy.”
“They are the Young Master’s guards!” the man with the mustache roared in fury. “You spy, hand over the Young Master now!”
“They are the spies. You should ask them,” Qi Zhengyan replied, showing no tension from being surrounded and interrogated.
At this moment, the commotion attracted the attention of the leaders of the three camps: “Peaceful Sea King” Zhu Shou, “Jiushan Marquis” Miao Hu, and “Ningnan Kirin” Hu Zhi Gao, who arrived one after another.
“What happened? Who dared intrude into my camp!” Zhu Shou, tall and mighty, stood there exuding immense pressure.
Miao Hu was a slightly hunched old man, but his vital energy was so strong it disturbed the air without needing to be summoned. His cane glowed with a dark bronze hue.
He narrowed his eyes, his expression dark, not answering Zhu Shou’s question but turning to his subordinate: “Liang Ye, what’s going on?”
Liang Ye, the man with the mustache, was both anxious and furious: “I was patrolling the camp when I saw a dark figure dart out of the Young Master’s tent. Inside, there was no one. I hurriedly chased here and only saw this spy and two guards. The Young Master is missing!”
“My son Cong?” Miao Hu’s expression changed drastically. His wrist holding the staff cracked on its own, spilling blood. He formed a mystical seal with his right hand, turning the blood into a faint lapis lazuli hue, attempting to locate his son through the bloodline connection of divine and demonic ancestry.
The blood dripped to the ground, soaking into the soil. Miao Hu’s eyes flared with madness: “Cong has already died! Did you kill him?”
He looked ready to tear Qi Zhengyan apart.
Qi Zhengyan remained expressionless, lying: “I only saw these two guards trying to assassinate me. I didn’t see your son. I believe he was also killed by them.”
“The incident happened suddenly. The Young Master’s body must be nearby. Search everywhere!” Liang Ye ordered his subordinates.
Zhu Shou snorted: “You say Prince Miao is dead, but where is the body? Without seeing it, how can I believe you and let you search my camp?”
Jiang Zhiwei, Zhao Heng, and Ruan Yushu silently watched Qi Zhengyan, finding this side of him somewhat unfamiliar.
Just then, Qi Zhengyan suddenly spoke: “I once had a miraculous encounter and obtained a secret technique. Even without a body or if the body was deliberately destroyed and the soul erased, I can summon the lingering grudge of the deceased to reveal the true murderer and spy.”
“Really?” Miao Hu’s hands bulged with veins.
Hu Zhi Gao watched calmly, knowing the masters were all extraordinary.
Qi Zhengyan nodded slightly: “I will now perform the secret technique.”
“Hmph, how do we know it will be the Young Master’s grudge you summon? How do we know you won’t alter it?” Liang Ye glared at Qi Zhengyan, clearly disbelieving.
Qi Zhengyan ignored him entirely: “Bound by blood, Jiushan Marquis will be able to discern.”
“We must try!” Miao Hu urged Qi Zhengyan to begin immediately.
Qi Zhengyan’s fingers moved like blooming flowers, swirling around with sudden cold winds forming a vortex.
Suddenly, Liang Ye’s eyes widened in horror as his internal energy spiraled out of control, erupting with violent force!
Boom!
The shockwave rolled outward, and the external cultivators barely had time to protect themselves!
When everything calmed, many of the external cultivators were disheveled, while Qi Zhengyan’s green robe remained unchanged, proving the extraordinary quality of the Tianjing Battle Robe. The two assassins on the ground also exploded simultaneously!
“Traitor Liang Ye!” Miao Hu roared furiously.
Qi Zhengyan’s face remained calm: “He was merely the executor, not the mastermind. He was silenced.”
Miao Hu hurriedly said: “Esteemed Sir, please summon my son’s lingering grudge to uncover the true instigator!”
“I was lying,” Qi Zhengyan glanced at him indifferently.
“Eh?” Miao Hu, Zhu Shou, and others were stunned.
“There’s no such secret technique. I just wanted to trick the killer,” Qi Zhengyan said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jiang Zhiwei’s unfamiliarity with Qi Zhengyan faded slightly, and she transmitted her voice: “We just arrived today, and were framed tonight. Why is the mastermind so afraid of us?”
…
As dawn broke, patrols changed shifts.
“Meng Qi, the Lord of the Underworld,” returned to camp with his subordinates, entered the gate without looking back, directly heading toward one side, following his deduction of the Bug Master’s location.
“Lord, where are you going?” one subordinate asked.
“Something came up,” Meng Qi replied coldly.
He had no time to use the Changing Heaven and Earth Art to examine Meng Qi’s memories, had no idea where he lived or how he interacted with others, so he used a blunt excuse to head straight for the Bug Master.
Of course, the biggest problem was that once he succeeded, he would be close to exposure. With the imperial army’s vigilance against transformation techniques, how could he escape!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage